Hopeful we'll be able to pick up from where we left: Mufti on Indo-Pak ties

With India suspending cross-border trade with Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi follows the footsteps of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and resolves the present situation.

"Situation from 1989 till date has been very difficult. There has been ups and down, but I am hopeful that we will be able to resolve it because the PM is very keep and always talking about towing the line of Vajpayee ji and Vajpayee ji is a very popular leader not only among the main stream politicians but also separatists and Pakistan," Mufti told ANI.

"Everybody talks about Vajpayee ji. And I am sure if we tow into his line we will be able to overcome it," she added.

Asserting that India and Pakistan have been fighting since 1947, Mufti said even then there have been the Tashkent agreement and the Lahore agreement.

"So, I am hopeful we will be able to pick up the threads from where we left, from Prime Minister's visit to Lahore we should be able to move forward," she added.

The Indian authorities suspended cross-border trade with Pakistan along the LoC on Tuesday after Islamabad continued unprovoked ceasefire violation in the border district of Poonch. The firing severely damaged the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Chaka-da-Bagh.